It’s Your Move: daily chess puzzle # 25

White to play and win

Neukirch v Uhlmann, Leipzig 1962

Solution

I am not sure whether this is easy or hard. For me, it took me ages (half a dog walk, to be precise) until the doh! moment, when I reflected, reconsidered…and looking at 'functions' or in Purdy terms, nets, pins and ties.

Here, the Ne4 is tied to the Pf6, which, if it falls, is game over. So 1 Nd2! and since the Ne4 is LPDO, it is game over.

Why is it so hard to follow the 'rules' that you know: a check for LPDOs, a check for nets, pins and ties, examine all biffs …will get you a long way in chess, or solving chess problems, and yet it is so hard to follow a routine.

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